New Delhi: The Delhi Police has filed an FIR against a private company, on a complaint by the Defence Ministry, for allegedly not returning a database containing personal information of 45-lakh ex-servicemen after it completed a contract for Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) smart cards, officials said.
The case was unearthed in RTI applications and subsequent follow ups filed by activist Commodore Lokesh Batra (retd). He was recently informed by a Defence Ministry official through an email – a copy of which is with this agency – that the Delhi Police registered the FIR December 19 against private vendor Score Information Technology (SITL) on this issue. Batra had sent an RTI query seeking file notings about the issue.
“The notings received in response to the RTI application show that ‘in the absence of any written confirmation in form of ‘Confidentiality Certificate’ from the firm, the security of the database of ECHS beneficiaries cannot be confirmed,” the Defence Ministry said.
The ministry has alleged that SITL was given a five-year contract in 2010 for the development of smart cards for ECHS but after the expiry of contract in 2015, the company did not return the database, source code, keys and computer applications, the file notings show.
The company, in response to a legal notice from the ministry, has strongly denied the allegations, saying the data has been returned, the notings show.
After accessing file notings and detailed communication exchanged at various levels on the issue, Batra, a navy veteran, asked the Defence Ministry to explain the action taken against the company.
“With reference to your email referred to above in the subject line, you are informed that FIR has been lodged against M/s Score Information Technologies Private Limited and its directors and employees by Central Organisation, ECHS on December 19, 2019 at Police Station, Sadar Bazar, Delhi Cantonment,” Under Secretary AK Karn in Department of Ex Servicemen Welfare told him.
The officials have noted in files that data which have been handed over to Central Organisation, ECHS, responsible for implementation of the scheme, vide the certificate dated November 5, 2015 comprises only front-end software and source code of MIS module. However, the source codes and keys required for making changes in the database have not been handed over to this office, it shows.
In December 2002, the government had sanctioned ECHS healthcare scheme to cater for medical care of all ex-servicemen (ESM) in receipt of pension, including disability and family pensioners and dependents.
PTI